Block-printing machine.



R. G. JACKSON.

BLOCK PRINTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED Nov.16. 191e.

1,241,391. y PatentedSept. 25, 1917.

n. G.J'AcK`soN. BLOCK Pm'NTmGY MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED I6 1.916.

PatentedSept. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2f al' g. nia

; arnr nieren RALPH G. JACKSON, OF CHESTER, PENNSYLVANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE CONGOLEU'M COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, TENNSYLVANI, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Brociernrnrnve MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

To 'all whom t may concern: f

Be it known that I, RALPH G. JACKSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chester, county of Delaware, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain vImprovements in Block-Printing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in block printingl machines of the type in which the material to be printed is intermittently moved and the carriers, on`which the printing' blocks are mounted, are intermittently reciprocated so as to make the impression. A

This invention is an improvement on the patent granted to William H. lWaldron, November 21st, 1915, No. 1,115,301, in which the latches for holding the carriers out of action are controlled by cams and rods. The machine of the patent is automatic and lthe printing blocks are held ont of action at predetermined intervals, according to the location of the cams.

One object of my invention is to provide means for releasing any one of the carriers from the control of the automatic mechanism, so that certain blocks can make impressions out of their order.

A further object of the invention is to construct the machine so that sections of' a strip, which were previously considered waste, can be utilized to make rugs smaller han the predetermined size being printed on the machine.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1, is a sectional view of 'sufficient of a block printing machine to illustrate my invention, the section being on the line 1--1, Fig. 2;

Fig. 2, is a sectional plan view on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, with some of the elements removed; and

Fig. 3, is a detached perspective View of a portion of the hand operating device to which my invention relates.

1 is the table of a block printing machine mounted on a frame 2. 3 is a spiked endless band which carries the material to be printed over the table. 4 is a carrier for the printing block 5. This carrier consists of two vertical members 6 adapted to guides at the side of the frame 2 and a cross frame 7 connecting the vertical members and to which the printing block 5 is directly attached.

8 is a driving shaft having a worm wheel 9 thereon which meshes with a gear wheel 10 on a cam shaft 11 having a cam 12 thereon, shown by dotted lines, for elevating the carrier 13 is a rock shaft having at each end a latch 14 arranged to engage the projecting portion 15 of the carrier 4, and on this rock shaft is a counterweight 16 which tends to throw the latch out of engagement with the portion 15. `When the latch is in engagement with the portion 15, the carrier and the printing block are held out of action, but when the latch is withdrawn then it is reciprocated, the cam raising it and its weight lowering it to the printing position.

In machines constructed according to the lValdron patent above alluded to a cam 17 on a driven shaft 18 moves a rod 19 in one direction through the lever 20 and, in the present instance, it acts upon a head 21 on the end of the rod. A spring 22 located between the collar 23 on the rod and a fixed abutment 21 on the frame 2 tends to move the rod in a direction opposite to the cam. On the rod is a collar 24 which comes in contact with an arm 25 on the rock shaft 13 carrying the latches 14. The spring 22 tends to hold the latches 14 in engagement with the portion 15 of the carrierk4, and the cams 17 move the rod against the pressure of the springs and release the latches at certain intervals so as to allow the carrier and the printing block to descend to make an impression.

In machines of this typethere is a series of carriers, each controlled by a cam and a rod, and latches. The mechanism is entirely automatic. Therefore, if imperfections occur in the base material and the machine is printing rugs of any size some 'of these imperfections may occur in the center of a rug otherwise perfect, or even at the edge of a rug, making that entire section worthless.

The main feature of my invention is to provide means whereby the defective portions of the material can be passed through the machine without being printed upon and without interfering with the standard size of the rug.

By my invention, the operator can actuate the mechanism which will allow a border section to be printed out of time and in place of one of the body sections, so that a short rug, less in length than the standard length, will be printed, while the defective portion adjoining this short section will be avoided and a rug of standard size will be started immediately after this defective portion has passed the printing point.

Mounted in suitable bearings in the frame of the machine is a rock shaft 26 extending from one side of the machine to the other and having a handle 27 at each end, so that it can be turned by hand from either side of the machine. On the shaft is an arm 28, which is attached to a head 29 on the rod 19, so that, by turning the shaft 9.6 in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, the rod will be moved longitudinally and the spring 22 will be compressed, relievingthe rock shaft 18 from the pressure of the said spring and allowing the ccunterweight 16 to'fall, moving the latches 14 away from the projections 15 on the carrier, so that each released carrier will then come under the control of the cam 12 and its printing block carried thereon will make an impression out of the predetermined order. l

There is one of these devices at each carrier and the operator watches the material as it is fed to the machine. If he perceives a defective portion he follows this section throughout the length of the machine and he can gage the printing so that, when the material passes a border block, he can shift the mechanism by turning the rock shaft 26, releasing the carrier and allowing the printing block to make an impression and at the same time he can hold out of action the carrier having the body block thereon, by merely turning a hand lock 30, which bears against one of the latches and holds the rock shaft in the locked position until the material has passed that particular block. The operator follows this defective section until it passes the final printing block. Consequently, if there is a small defective portion in the material and the machine is printing 6X9 rugs, the operator will so adjust the mechanism of the machine that this defective portion will be avoided and a perfect 6X6 rug will be printed: These odd sized rugs are sold at full price per foot, whereas if the rug contained an imperfecing the material through the machine; a

printing block carrier; means for lifting the carrier; means for holding the carrier out of action; mechanically operated vmeans for releasing the carrier; and hand operated means for releasing the carrier to be actu# ated out of time with the mechanically operated means.

2. The combination vin a block printing machine of the type having a series of intermittently lreciprocating block carriers and means for `intermittently moving the material throughthe machine, of a block carrier; a counter-balanced latch for the carrier; a rod for actuating the latch; a spring for moving the rod in one direction; a cam for moving the rod in the opposite direction; and hand operated means for moving the rod in the same direction as the cam to compress the spring and to release the carrier from the Vcontrol of the latch.

3. The combination in a block printing machine, of a bed; means for intermittently carrying the material over the bed; a block carrier; means for actuating said carrier to allow the block to make an impression; a latch at the carrier arranged to hold it out of position; a counterbalance for each latchr so that lwhen the said latch is released it will move away from vthe carrier; a rock shaft on which the latch is mounted; an arm on said shaft; an actuating rod having a collar bearing against the arm; a spring for moving the rod in one direction; mechanically operated means for moving the rod in the opposite direction; and a hand operated rock shaft having an arm engaging the rod so that when it is desired to release the carrier and to allow the printing block to make an impression the hand operated rock shaft is turned, causing the controlling rod to move against the pressure of the spring to release the latch.

RALPH e. Jackson.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. f 

